“My mom—she told me Kevin’s obsession was killing him, that he was losing weight—what if he was really sick? Like really, really sick?”
“He believed he was. I think—I think he killed himself to spare you and your mother from watching him die.” That was partly true. At least, Max believed that was one of the reasons running through Kevin’s head. She didn’t need to tell Jodi that the other reason was to pull Max into this investigation. Max had been fighting the guilt of not listening to him four months ago when he attempted to contact her. She didn’t know if that would have changed anything, but it might have.
“Thank you, Max.”
“Don’t.” Max didn’t want kudos. Kevin had still killed himself. Lindy was still dead. And her cousin was now under suspicion for murder.
Her grandmother’s comment the other night—nothing good can come from this—ran through Max’s head.
It wasn’t completely true. Kevin had been exonerated. Wasn’t that enough?
Deep down, Max knew that it wasn’t.
Chapter Twenty-four
It was nearly three, and since Max was so close to Atherton Prep, she swung over to the construction site. She found Brian Robeaux talking to the foreman, Roger Lawrence. Brian approached her as soon as he recognized her.
“Ms. Revere, can I help you?”
“I was hoping to take a few pictures for an article I’m writing about Jason’s murder.”
“Absolutely. Anything you need.”
She must have looked surprised—usually, she had an uphill battle getting access to crime scenes, even from the family. They sometimes didn’t know how she was going to present the information or show their loved one.
“Thank you.”
“Anything, really. Detective Santini came by this morning to talk to my sister and Michael. He said they’ve moved Jason’s case back up to a priority. He explained that Jason was most likely killed because of that grave you found.”
“Santini’s a smart cop.”
“But if you hadn’t pushed, I wouldn’t have remembered about Jason’s concern about the digging, it just wasn’t something I connected.”
“Sometimes, Mr. Robeaux, a case needs a fresh set of eyes. That’s what I gave, but Santini’s going to be the one to solve it.”
“He told us that whoever killed and buried the woman thought her body might be found during construction. Even though those trees are outside of the construction plan, the killer may not have known that, or he might have thought we’d be laying pipes or cables.”
Max nodded. “That makes sense. And after all these years, he didn’t remember where he’d buried the body, that’s why Jason found the small, deep holes.”
“Detective Santini thinks when they identify the remains, they’ll find a suspect.”
Max held up her camera. “I won’t be long. And you can tell Jason’s parents that I’m writing about his life and what he accomplished. His murder is not going to be sensationalized.”
“No one is worried about that. We just appreciate everything you’ve done. Again, anything you need, you let me know. Be careful over there—the police released the area yesterday, but it’s been dug up and picked through. I wouldn’t want you twisting your ankle like Mr. Pierce.”
“I’ll be careful. Thank you.”
She took her Canon digital camera and snapped a few pictures of the beginning of construction, of the trees, of the old gymnasium that attached to the pool house where Lindy’s body had been found. Nick’s theory that the victim in the grave may have something to do with Lindy’s death had been on Max’s mind. If Jason had been killed because he’d caught someone removing the body, maybe Lindy had been killed because she saw someone burying the body in the first place.
Could it really be that simple?
Simple, perhaps, as to the killer’s motive, but until they identified the remains from the grave, nearly impossible to use to identify the killer.
Max could see the top of Lindy’s clubhouse about seventy yards down the stone wall, on the other side. Could Lindy have been watching from the top floor? Maybe saw a flashlight and investigated? Why investigate and not just call the police?
Because nothing bad ever happened in Atherton. They’d all felt exceptionally safe growing up, and it was Lindy—the girl who lived for secrets. If Lindy thought anyone was hanging around, she’d assume they were up to something and would want to know who and what.
Except, if someone was digging a grave, why wouldn’t they have put Lindy’s body in it?
That was easy—Lindy would have been reported missing. Which suggested that if this theory was accurate, the victim was someone who wouldn’t be missed.
And why hadn’t the police searched the area and found the grave? If it was fresh when Lindy had been killed, wouldn’t they have found it? Or was it far enough away from the pool that no one looked?
Maybe Lindy’s death had nothing to do with the grave at all. Just because the bones might have been buried roughly the same time as Lindy’s murder didn’t mean that the victim had been buried the very same night.
Max finished with the pictures, then walked among the trees again, toward the old gate in the wall. Until Carson Salter explained how screwed up the crime scene was, she hadn’t realized that the gate might have been used by the killer. If it was, the killer must have known Lindy, at least as an acquaintance. Anyone from the school might have known Lindy used the gate, and of course her friends. But what about a stranger?
None of this was helping William, Max thought as she walked back to the construction trailers.
Nick’s Bronco was parked next to her grandmother’s Jag, but she didn’t see Nick anywhere.
Her curiosity was definitely aroused. Forensics had released the crime scene, so there didn’t seem to be any reason to be here, unless Nick had more questions. If he had more questions for Brian and his staff, then maybe he had new information.